Monthly Archives: May 2017

From the NO DEGREES OF SEPARATION File: ‘Traxers always seem to be bumping into each other at gigs all over, and JULIE HANCOCK and TOM SAWYER are the latest to experience this increasingly common phenomenon! When a call came into the office requesting someone with a comedy background to narrate an interactive series for COOK’S PANTRY, Tom was the obvious choice! And when that same project sought out a hip, young lady, Tom told a classmate – Julie! The very same Julie who just made her own score, right out of the Booking Gigs 123 class for EQUIVVY TRANSPORTATION on Voice 123.com! Julie had these insights about the Equivvy job:

“I remember in my Voice-Over Angel class, Guest Director Thom Pinto said to make the company representatives accountable in the session – and I don’t know how, but that came to me when I was in session and the rep was talking to the director to tell me to do things, even though we were all on the phone together. So I asked her directly if X was the direction she was thinking of and I felt like it created a much more open space where everyone was more involved in the final product and not shy about sharing ideas!”

We wonder how long it’ll be until Julie’s in something with the one lady, who was in that thing with the dude, who was in that show with Kevin Bacon…

FROM THE CLASSROOM STRAIGHT TO BOOKINGS: as easy as 1-2-3! While we have to stop shy of guaranteeing results on paid casting sites like Voice123.com, having a class under your belt like Booking Gigs 123 sure seems to help! Guest Director Vicki Baum is a 123 VET, and from her years of experience, she’s figured out all the ins and outs on the best use of your time on paid voice casting sites! Just ask ‘Traxers ARI SIGAL and FAYE JAIME – who booked their jobs immediately after finishing Vicki’s class!

“After a while of feeling really unsure with Voice123 and how it was going for me there, I just booked my first gig off of it — and within weeks of finishing the Booking Gigs 123 class! I really think that class helped give me the confidence to choose the right auditions and feel more comfortable in general with the process. It was a short, very real-sounding VO for a safe driving PSA playing a teenage daughter. I was able to record the whole thing from home. They wanted a few takes to choose from, so I got to implement all that great three-in-a-row training, and I got it to them within a day! All in all it was a super quick, great experience and I was so happy to have all my Voicetrax training to get me there and to help me feel more confident every step of the way.

Thanks!
Ari”

“It was a Pandora/ Wellness Natural Cat Food . 30 sec spot. I auditioned for it on Voice 123…

What did I learn at Voicetrax that helped me with the job? Well a short answer is EVERYTHING… But really, specifically the self-direction that I’ve learned and continue to learn is key. What has really been helping me lately is the direction we give each other in class because it allows me to step outside of the booth and focus on what really needs to happen in the read from a director’s perspective. Also during my recording session I got stuck on one line that I just couldn’t read the way they were telling me to, and it took a lot of takes to get it right. I had to get out of my head and let go to be able to read it in a different way. That is something I took from the session that I would like to continue to work on…

This was definitely a great learning experience and a big confidence boost as well as a reminder of things I still have to work on, but I also felt prepared in so many ways thanks to all the classes and the amazing teachers I’m lucky to learn from at Voicetrax.

From the COMMANDO VOICE-OVER files: you never know what you might encounter on a booking with a madcap genius writer/director… unless that same madcap genius writer/director has also been your teacher at Voicetrax! Bay Area Comedy Radio Guru and Guest Director SAM POND ran ‘Traxer LIZ O’NEILL through some unusual paces on Friday; Sam wanted an outdoor ambience – and since nothing sounds more like the outdoors than… well, uh… the actual OUTDOORS, Sam was more than willing to throw the environment out the actual window! And as squirrel and sparrow alike rose and gave audience, a great time was had by all! According to Liz:

“What could be better than recording with Sam Pond? Recording with Sam Pond outside!! We had a blast recording al fresco to capture authentic ambient sound quality. Sam was directing us out a window! This was a session that set the bar for fun, creativity and working with the best. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Moral of the story? NO TWO DAYS ARE ALIKE in the life of a voice-actor – and if you’re ready for ANYTHING, you might just be in for a LOT MORE FUN than you were expecting!

From the PERSISTENCE PAYS files, a HOT NEW SCOOP: we just held our inaugural session of the VOICETRAX 500 – so named because students auditioned at home to compete for a grand prize of $500 worth of Voicetrax classes, one of our BIGGEST PRIZES yet! And the results are IN. From an initial field of about 40 students recording home auditions, our panel of judges painstakingly narrowed the field down to 14 finalists, who enjoyed a Saturday class getting a comprehensive review of their work with Samantha. After a full day of listening to and working with the students, Sam had a winner in mind – but that initial panel of judges came to their own conclusions too! Uh-oh – how did that all play out? You’ll just have to watch the attached video to see… Hope you enjoy the moment as much as we did, because we just never EVER get tired of witnessing hard work paying off!

From the PERSISTENCE PAYS files, a HOT NEW SCOOP: we just held our inaugural session of the VOICTRAX 500 – so named because students auditioned at home to compete for a grand prize of $500 worth of Voicetrax classes, one of our BIGGEST PRIZES yet! And the results are IN. From an initial field of about 40 students recording home auditions, our panel of judges painstakingly narrowed the field down to 14 finalists, who enjoyed a Saturday class getting a comprehensive review of their work with Samantha. After a full day of listening to and working with the students, Sam had a winner in mind – but that initial panel of judges came to their own conclusions too! Uh-oh – how did that all play out? You’ll just have to watch the attached video to see… Hope you enjoy the moment as much as we did, because we just never EVER get tired of witnessing hard work paying off!

From the WILDLY SUCCESSFUL DEBUT CLASS files: we all know that dreaded “conversational” spec – the one you come across over and over and OVER AGAIN in auditions. Isn’t it great when you have a breezy new Guest Director who’s made an entire career of that very thing in LA? Who can show you not only how to attack that direction, but also how to work a TON of variety into it? And isn’t it best of all when your sides are sore from laughing NON-STOP after taking such a class? That’s what Freshly Minted Guest Director SCOTT PARKIN brought from LA to “Invitational Fifty Shades of Real” this weekend! And it looks like Scott had a ball too!

“ ’Wow’… that’s the only way I can think to start this letter off. Wow what an incredible experience to work with Voicetrax students this weekend. A passionate, brave and talented group. Such a wonderfully tight knit community as well. Everybody roots for each other and jumps at the chance to help. I found it incredibly refreshing and awesome to work in that environment. We went at it hard and covered so many aspects of my curriculum and they answered every challenge. Everyone seemed to stretch into areas they hadn’t been and that is just the coolest thing for a teacher to be a part of. Thank you so very much. I will do that anytime there is a slot for me ”